


In Bloom

by Sunflowersamurai



Category: Genshin Impact - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amnesia, Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memory Loss, Mutual Pining, Mutually Unrequited, Near Death Experiences, Tragic Love, Tragic Romance, Unfulfilled Soulmates, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29508078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunflowersamurai/pseuds/Sunflowersamurai
Summary: Kaeya had loved Diluc all his life, but following the violent storm that night, the seeds of tragedy were sown within his heart. Unrequited love, the most lethal poison of all. It spares none.
Relationships: Diluc & Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Diluc/Kaeya (Genshin Impact)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 220
Collections: Kaeluc Week 2021





	In Bloom

**Author's Note:**

> Short hanahaki fic for KaeLuc week! Did this during my break from studying for exams, sorry it's late...
> 
> Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ VantuVenti

Suffering.

That was what had defined Kaeya’s life to this point.

Private, hidden, silent agony.

This was no different, he told himself. Just another obstacle, another fight, another thorn in his side as he lay amongst a bed of roses.

_Roses._

_How ironic._

Kaeya just wiped his mouth bitterly, the handkerchief speckled with drops of blood. He knew he wouldn’t tell anyone, wouldn’t confide in anyone. He knew what was happening and he knew what he wanted to do. That’s all there was to it.

He sighed, it was early still. He probably had quite some time to live. He gazed at himself in the mirror, _am I supposed to cry?_

If he thought the answer was ‘yes’, he ignored it anyway, throwing on his coat and fastening the sheath of his sword to his hip.

Kaeya never cried.

He strolled into work, as he always did. He jested and teased and smiled and somehow managed to finish his work at the end of the day in the way only he could. He was young, but capable. Still too young to drink, but old enough to die.

In the line of his duty, or from the poison in his lungs.

Time trudged on, and his pain grew greater, and greater still. His fits became more frequent, became more violent. His body grew weaker, and his heart ached harder.

Still, Kaeya would tell no one.

This was his pain, and his pain alone. That’s what he told himself. In reality, he knew the reason he maintained his silence was that the moment he confided in someone, they would attempt to make him see how foolish he was being. Kaeya didn’t want to hear that, didn’t want to spend the remainder of his life being scolded for how selfish he was.

By the end of the third year, the condition was becoming visible no matter how valiant his efforts to conceal it. He couldn’t keep up, his breath wheezed when he strained himself, his mind had become foggy from countless sleepless nights brought by the horrid pain in his chest. He knew it was only a matter of time before Jean stepped quietly into his office, eyeing the stacks of backlogged papers that were so uncharacteristic of him.

Kaeya tried to shrug it off anyway, knowing it wouldn’t work, “Sorry, guess I came down with something.”

His voice was hoarse, his breath struggling in and out amidst his constricted lungs.

Jean cast him a doubtful glance, “Tell me the truth, Kaeya.”

He only had a short while left to live, so he did.

Jean gave him the longest, most infuriating look of utter pity. Kaeya hated it, and the way his glare grew sharp and cold conveyed that, even if he couldn’t manage the words to express the wretched feeling it gave him.

“Don’t try to talk me out of it,” he said dismissively, “I’ve already made my decision, and it’s my right to do so.”

Jean just gazed sorrowfully at her friend, “I wish you’d reconsider…”

Kaeya looked away, out the dark window, “I won’t.”

And he didn’t.

That was how it went. At half way through the fourth year, Kaeya was bed ridden. He needed constant care, hardly able to breathe any longer. When his fits came, they were terrifying, violent to the point of cracking his sternum. It took a coordinated effort to free his body of the suffocating efflorescence, and it usually resulted in injury to his throat.

He had made his wishes clear, he wanted to go with dignity. He didn’t want a spectacle. He wanted his money to go to an orphanage, and his belongings donated. He wanted only a small funeral of ten or less people, and he wanted a small, simple grave with nothing but “Kaeya Alberich” inscribed upon it.

Alberich.

Not Ragnvindr.

Alberich.

It was a matter of time at this point. He was so weak, so frail. Most days, he didn’t awaken at all, as if his body was already preparing for eternal slumber. When he did awaken, it was to accommodate an agonizing bought of coughing, accompanied by blood and flowers ripped from his throat by his fearful witnesses.

It was a quiet meeting, secretive. Jean stood with Albedo, Sucrose, Lisa and Barbara, a plea in her voice, “Please just do it.”

Albedo cast a wary glance at her, “I am familiar with the procedure to remove the disease, that’s true. It’s extremely complicated, and has been lost to time along with much of the ancient alchemy practices of Khaenri’ah, but I could do it. However… It’s against his will. It was his wish to die, does he not have that right? That authority over his own fate?”

It was a reasonable argument, but one sentence ended Albedo’s protest, “He won’t know any better.”

So that was how it happened, as the Chief Alchemist readied his small team to save the life of the Cavalry Captain.

Against his will.

The procedure was invasive, but at the careful direction of Albedo, the damage was minimized. The stitch-line across Kaeya’s sternum was tight and thin, Albedo’s knowledge of Khemia, the art of creation, lent him exceptional skill in biology.

Kaeya spent a week in a deep slumber, his body beginning to recover from the horrid disease. Everyone spent those days in apprehension, unsure what to expect when he awoke to find his final wish had been violated.

But as Jean had stated, he remembered nothing.

He was confused, a bit frightened even, when he awoke to find that he’d undergone a major procedure that he no recollection of. But he remembered Albedo, and Jean, and Lisa, and Amber, and Klee, and Barbara, so he settled down quickly with a nervous laugh that was so like him.

It was as Jean had said, he remembered not the cause of his ailment, nor did he remember his dying wish to allow the disease to take its course.

He remained ignorant of the true consequence.

He did not remember Diluc.

It was okay, for some time, anyway. Kaeya didn’t know any better, he didn’t know just how much of himself he’d lost. He no longer remembered his childhood, but he accepted that with a shrug and a smirk, “Must not have been that important then,” he joked.

It was okay, for a time.

But good things don’t last, not for Kaeya, anyway.

He sat in the tavern, he was alone today, mulling over some paperwork and making a point to only drink light while the sun remained in the sky. There was an odd atmosphere in the bar, Kaeya wrote it off to the new barista being nervous to work a big gig at Angel’s Share.

The barista had come on his shift after Kaeya had ordered his first drink, but as he went to order a second, the barista cold shouldered him. Kaeya was miffed, wondering if perhaps this guy had some issue with authority and was slighting the Knight out of spite.

He didn’t know his name, so Kaeya snapped his fingers at him, “Hey, it’s not busy in here, so I know you hear me.”

The barista threw knives at him with a hateful glare, retaining his silence.

Kaeya made a bit of a face, he didn’t appreciate his authority being undermined, especially by strangers, “Might I be so bold as to ask, is there a problem between you and I?”

The red-head nearly snarled at him, “Go to hell.”

Kaeya gave him a bemused, stern look, “You should watch your tone, addressing a Knight that way.”

The man looked ready to get physical at any moment, so Kaeya stood up, showing his full size as the red-haired man glowered at him, “If you’re trying to pick a fight with me, you’re on the right track, _Captain._ ”

Kaeya eyed him, “Me? You’re the one picking a fight. All I wanted was another drink, and you copped this nasty attitude with me.”

He could hear the other man grit his teeth, “If you want another drink, how about you get it somewhere else?”

Normally, Kaeya would have left, not one for making a public spectacle, but something about this man annoyed him, “Why should I? I’ve done nothing wrong, I don’t even know you.”

Whatever it was about those particular words, they set the other man off. He spared no more words as he grabbed Kaeya by his shirt, pulling him hard so that Kaeya was bent partially over the counter.

He looked ready to say something, but Kaeya slammed a fist into his face, causing him to stagger back. It was a bad angle, so the punch didn’t do much harm, but it successfully sent his message.

The red-head looked shocked, as if he couldn’t believe Kaeya had actually hit him, “What’s wrong with you?”

Kaeya levied an ice-cold glare at the man, more than a warning, that look was an outright threat, “If you want a fight, I suggest you pick someone more at your level. If you insist it be me, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed by the results. Now, get ahold of yourself before my patience runs out and I decide to give you some real combat experience in Mondstadt prison.”

The red-head looked utterly confused, and angry, “’Real combat experience’? Who do you think you’re talking to?”

Kaeya scoffed, lowering his voice so his drop in manners wouldn’t be broadcast, “What, are some rich little prick or something? You think your mommy and daddy will get you out of any trouble you cause, is that it?” he sneered at the man with a hostile grin, “I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not how it works. And I should warn you,” he leaned in close, “I despise your kind.”

Amber eyes scanned over him with an unreadable mix of emotions, before they settled on unbridled anger, “So that’s how it is, huh? You’re really just gonna pretend you don’t remember me?”

Kaeya leaned back, tipping his head, _do I know this guy?... No. I would remember him._

Kaeya huffed at him, “Look, if I cited you for some kind of infraction or something, get over it.”

Those bright eyes flashed, “What? Kaeya?”

Kaeya shrugged, “My name is commonplace around here, it’s not really a surprise that you know it.”

Those eyes flicked over him, increasingly concerned, “You’re… not kidding… are you?”

Kaeya quirked his brow, “Obviously not. If you tell me what I cited you for, maybe I’ll remember that.”

The man got up slowly, still seeming unsure if he was afraid or enraged, “Your favorite flower is a Calla Lily.”

Kaeya blinked, “Uh, no, it isn’t.”

The man glared, but there was hurt behind those isinglass windows, “Yes it is! We used to sit by the waterfall pool in Springvale and you’d always pick one to take home.”

Kaeya recoiled, “What are you talking about? I’m sorry… It seems you’ve confused me with someone else. I think this is a misunderstanding.”

The other shook his head, “What? You can’t be serious, Kaeya…”

Kaeya shrugged, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kaeya turned to leave the strange scene, “Oh, and, for your information, I like Cecilia’s.”

Kaeya waved him off, picking up his papers and muttering something about not attacking strangers in the future.

Diluc was left staring after him, wordlessly. He had assumed Kaeya was doing this intentionally to anger him, but something about that blank look in his eye told Diluc he was serious. He had no reservation, no spite, none of the anger and bitterness he should’ve had. He’d merely looked at Diluc like he was some annoying delinquent, and nothing more. Diluc handed the barista duty back to Charles, and he headed to the Knights headquarters.

Diluc had thrown the doors to Jean’s office open, demanding to know what had happened in his absence. Jean had frantically hushed him, and then, reluctantly, explained everything.

Diluc was mortified.

How could this happen?

How did he fail the most important person in his life a second time?

Jean gauged his reaction, begging him not to tell Kaeya the truth, swearing that it was better this way, that he was doing well for himself.

Diluc’s heart shattered, _he’s better off without me…_

Diluc hung his head, resigned to the consequences of his own actions, “I won’t say anything to him.”

He left Jean’s office, he’d attempted to avoid Kaeya, but he passed the other man in the hall, trying desperately to hide his broken heart as Kaeya shot him a distrustful look.

Kaeya would provide Jean the perfect excuse when he’d asked if the man had filed a report about their incident in the bar. Jean smiled weakly, “That’s right. Don’t worry, I already handled it.”

Kaeya thanked her, and went home. He would sleep well that night, satisfied with having finished the last of his backlogged paperwork.

Diluc would spend the night in agony, silent wails with no witness.

He would endure his sins in private.

Kaeya was better off without him, so that’s how it would stay.

The days went by, Diluc apologized to Kaeya the next time he came around the tavern, “I’m sorry… you were right… it was a misunderstanding after all.”

Kaeya shrugged it off, forgiving easily when the crushing weight of the past wasn’t smothering him. It wounded Diluc’s heart, he wanted Kaeya to be bitter, to be angry, anything that showed he still remembered Diluc.

That was selfish, he knew, so he kept his wish to himself.

In a years time, Diluc could feel the change within himself. It started as a slight, dry cough, a small ache in his chest, just a bit more tired than usual. When blood spotted the handkerchief in his hand, he knew what it was.

Despair filled him, how could fate be so cruel.

Kaeya found his way into the bar, his usual genial air about him. Diluc felt a stab in his chest seeing him look so content with his life. He fought back tears, suddenly choked up from something that wasn’t from the disease growing within him.

Kaeya didn’t see his tears nearly spill over, but it didn’t take long for the observant Captain to notice something was wrong. When Diluc leaned his back against the wall, away from the counter and the noisy patrons, Kaeya found his way over to the seat in the corner, swirling his drink while he watched the red-head. Diluc didn’t have the strength to hide his pain, and Kaeya was the only one he wanted to see right now.

Kaeya tipped his head a bit, “Hey, are you all right? You don’t look so well.”

Diluc felt like he couldn’t breathe, worried another fit was coming on upon hearing those words, “I’m just… tired these days.”

Kaeya hummed, he sounded so sincere, “You should take it easy. You’ve been working the bar often these days, perhaps it would be wise to go the cathedral and get a consultation? Barbara is great, she performed a major procedure on me a while back, there’s hardly even a scar.”

He chuckled, as if those words meant nothing more.

Diluc looked at him with glazed eyes, coming to lean on the counter so he was closer to him, “Yeah? Do you think she could… help me?”

Kaeya looked him over from this closer perspective, “Sure. If it’s something serious, we’ve also got some talent in the Knights. If you’re really worried about it, I can ask one of them to see you.”

Diluc lowered his gaze, “Actually I… know what’s wrong.”

He knew he shouldn’t, but he told Kaeya the vague details anyway.

Kaeya gazed at him with kindness, “I’m sorry to hear that, it’s unfortunate indeed. Even so, you shouldn’t let that determine the rest of your life. If it was really meant to be, won’t you just find each other again? Maybe then you’ll have another chance for it to work out. And if not, then it was never your fate to be with them from the start, right?”

Diluc wanted to kiss him. He wanted to hold his face with utter tenderness and kiss all his love into the man, to take back time and make things right again.

He knew he couldn’t.

Instead, he settled for a gentle, tragic smile, “Maybe… I’ll go ahead and do that.”


End file.
